Jane Goodall

1996 William Procter Prize for Scientific Achievement

Renowned animal behavioralist Jane Goodall is founder of The Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation. As a young Englishwoman, she went to work in Tanzania, East Africa, for famed anthropologist and paleontologist Louis Leakey, who was studying chimpanzees to gain insight into how our ancestors may have lived. Thirty-five years later, Goodall and her Tanzanian field staff's uninterrupted research continues to contribute significant findings on chimpanzee behavior. Her scientific discoveries have laid the foundation for all primate studies and have transformed natural history field studies. Her observations of chimpanzees making and using tools, a behavior previously believed to separate man from other animals, amazed the world. Her efforts not only include protecting wild chimp populations, which are increasingly threatened by poaching and deforestation, but also working to improve the lives of chimpanzees in captive situations. Her many honors include the title of Commander of the British Empire, bestowed by the Queen of England; the National Geographic Society's prestigious Hubbard Medal; Japan's Kyoto Prize in Basic Science; and The Ark Trust Lifetime Achievement Award.